The May 2012 Mid-county Memo is posted online. A recap of its contents: Last month, the top three mayoral candidates debated at David Douglas High School’s Howard Horner Performing Arts Center; the new Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative areas are approved; Parkrose School District averts a teacher’s strike; David Douglas special education teacher Annie Harrell is named Outstanding Teacher of the Year; Lee Perlman interviews City...

Are east Portland neighborhood associations all illegal? Technically yes, says East Portland Neighborhood Office Executive Director Richard Bixby, but it is not their fault. It is his. A handful of the City’s 95 recognized neighborhood associations are 501(c)3 non-profit corporations, able to offer tax deductions for donations. Most of the rest fall into a different non-profit status. Because they handle relatively small amounts of money,...

At the recent Wilkes Community Group open house held to answer questions about the city’s newly acquired future hybrid park — Wilkes Creek Headwaters Natural Area — angry neighbors vented frustrations to a panel of city representatives about stabilization work the city did on it in August. Metro and the city of Portland paid $1.96 million in February to acquire the 20.5-acre Roughton property on the city’s eastern edge, a finger...

The Wilkes Community Group holds its general membership meeting Tuesday, March 2 in the Margaret Scott Elementary School Library, 14700 N.E. Sacramento St. at 7 p.m. Agenda items include: presentations from Portland Parks & Recreation representatives about a potential bond measure addressing neighborhood park needs and from Ride Connection, the non-profit transportation service organization. Planning for the showing of movies in Wilkes Park...